A Look at Drug and Alcohol Use Trends In Young Adults
According to the 2018 Monitoring the Future College Students and Young Adults survey, marijuana use was at a historic high. There was a 7% five-year increase in marijuana use among young adults aged 19-22 according to the study. Adults between the ages of 19-22 that were not in college were slightly more likely to use marijuana compared with those in college in 2013.
The Monitoring the Future survey indicated that in 2013:
- 35.5% of college students between the ages of 19-22 admitted to using marijuana.
- 40.1% of non-college students between the ages of 19-22 used marijuana.
By 2018 the study showed that:
- Marijuana use among young adults not in college was up slightly to 42.5%.
- Annual marijuana use among young adults in college was up significantly (42.6%) compared to 2013.
Daily or Near Daily Use of Marijuana
The survey also found that daily or near-daily use of marijuana was nearly twice as high among non-college young adults compared to college students of the same age. 5.9% of college students reported using marijuana on 20 or more occasions within the past 30 days compared with 11.1% of non-college adults the same age.
Daily marijuana use among college/non-college young adults:
- 1 in 9 non-college adults between the ages of 19-22 reported using marijuana daily or near-daily within the past 30-days.
- 1 in 17 college students between the ages of 19-22 reported using marijuana daily or near-daily within the past 30-days.
Young Adults and Binge Drinking
The study showed that binge drinking was slightly higher among college-aged students between the ages of 19-22 compared with their non-college peers of the same age. 28% of college students reported having at 5 or more drinks in a row in the last two weeks compared to 25% of non-college students the same age.